My experience with GAD

GAD... can be compared to a swarm of bees. It puts you on edge to some degree most of the time, and it can be hard to manage when it gets too close for comfort. I've been living with it for a number of weeks now, and let me tell you, it can sometimes be really difficult.
It didn't help either that my mother barely understood what was happening to me and it was incredibly frustrating to have to explain to her several times that the whole point of my illness IS irrational anxiety that hovers for no reason before she got it. To her credit though she has tried her best with me, although relations can be strained between us at times because of how highly strung I am compared to the non-pathological tendency towards nervousness I once had that I think went out of control and led to me getting GAD in the first place, and me feeling that she's being obstructive, etc.

Hi TheBrit,

I would actually compare GAD to a bully. This bully makes your life miserable when present. Even when the bully is nowhere near, you'll fear your next encounter with the bully. Just like bullies in real life, they can only pick on you if you let them.

Anxiety is complicated so explaining it to other people with no experience is liking trying to explain a color to someone who never seen any colors. Sadly, going through anxiety can be a lonely path. However, we do have forums like this one where we can find like-minded people. People who understand and would support you since they have been there. I hope your relationship with your mother improves. Anxiety affects the whole family.

I hope you are having a great day!

Thank God someone actually replied after a decade or so!

Yes, I suppose you could compare GAD to being bullied. In fact, there were a few times in the past when someone tried to bully me and I didn't know what to do about it

That's the thing about issues like GAD. Even the experts don't have the answers to everything. All we can do is experience it, cope the best we can and learn from these lessons. Each lesson we learn will get us further in life. Every time we give up sees us falling further behind until we give up all hope.

You're spot on, mate. I dream of a world where no-one will have to be left to simply manage a mental illness, and I'll be damned if I don't get myself involved in this when I've recovered

Good luck with you dream then! Mental illness might not have a complete cure but I do believe that, if we work hard, we can raise enough awareness and help enough people that the world for those who suffer will be a better place!

Sorry that you have to go through this, GAD is a real pain and can make even the most simple daily tasks difficult. Your dream of a world where no one should have to struggle alone is a goal worth fighting for, I'm just curious if you have any coping mechanims to deal with it. I use music as a way to deal with things.

Hmm... I suppose I cope with it by just going through life as normal. Thankfully it isn't that bad that I can't enjoy myself in any way, which is sort of twisted in a way: it's like being a few metres away from a cliff edge but being thankful that you're not near it.